Wed, 12 Oct 1994 08:32:36 -0700 for <socgrad@ucsd.edu>
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 11:25 EDT
From: SCOTT BLAKE <BLAKE@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU>
Subject: Re: malls and more
To: socgrad@UCSD.EDU

I agree with the fundamentals of michael's post about the conformity and 
one-up-personship that now takes place in the "grunge" and "granola"
circles.  I would simply like to point out that things were not always
like that and it is perhpas a better lesson in the power of society
to co-opt its rebels than one in the fallacy of group individualism.

The "grunge" phenomenon has its roots in the punk movements of the late
1970's and early 1980's.  At the time, disaffected youths were practicing
random acts of vandalism and senseless violence in an effort to break out
of the molds imposed on them.  They (we) wore the same cloths for weeks, we 
smelled bad, we did drugs, we engaged in petty larceny, we called police
"pigs", we lashed out in an un-coordinated, stupid way.  What was happening 
then?  How did we get from a cohort crying out for change in the only way
we knew to pseudo-yuppies competing for the most expensive combat nboots?

I'd love to discuss this in greater detail and length if folks are up to it.

scott blake